The old fitness training room in A Building. It now feels as cozy as a newlywed home, a nest just for the two of them.
Jin Yeseo, sitting next to the unknown male, was explaining the situation from earlier.
“…You mean Baek Seoyeon noticed our relationship?”
“Yeah.”
Jin Yeseo nodded glumly. Her reflection in the training room mirror showed her disheveled appearance.
At least her clothes were intact, but the real issue was her hair.
‘I put so much effort into styling it…’
Would he like it, would it suit his taste? After hours of worrying and a night spent fretting, her meticulous styling had been blown to pieces before she could even show it to him.
She felt so disappointed that she almost blamed Baek Seoyeon.
Maybe leaving her behind in the hallway to follow the guy was a reflection of those feelings.
“Still, shouldn’t you have used that magic on the junior…?”
“That just means the betrayal hurt that much…”
The guy, hearing her words, also looked troubled.
“Then why didn’t you…? Wouldn’t asking for forgiveness have been better?”
For a moment, Jin Yeseo felt her heart skip a beat.
“Wouldn’t that backfire instead?”
“Forget it. You’re precious to me.”
Jin Yeseo shook her head.
“I didn’t want to lie to myself anymore. It can’t be helped now…”
A bittersweet smile appeared on Jin Yeseo’s face.
To some extent, her words were half-truths and half-lies.
It was true that she didn’t want to lie to herself.
However, she didn’t want to mention the fact that Baek Seoyeon recognized their relationship as ‘fiancé’ rather than ‘friends,’ or that she had romantic feelings for the male.
Baek Seoyeon’s misguided emotions were burdens that Jin Yeseo believed she should carry alone.
At least, that’s what Jin Yeseo thought.
After all, the reason for her silence couldn’t just be a trivial one like “not wanting to alert a potential rival,” right?
Shaking her head, Jin Yeseo tried to shake off her gloom.
Then, forcing a cheerful facade, she looked at him and said,
“Well, it’s nice to see you after a while, right?”
“…Yeah.”
He nodded, but there seemed to be something lukewarm about it. It almost felt like he was wary of her.
‘Did he suddenly get shy just because we haven’t seen each other in a week? Well, he’s always been like this…’
Though it caught her off guard, Jin Yeseo brushed it off.
Right now, she wanted to focus more on their conversation.
“So, how did you end up here?”
“I was on my way to the training room but heard a loud noise from downstairs…”
“You always show up when I’m in trouble. You did it last time, too. Are you doing this on purpose, trying to flirt with me?”
“What? No way…”
The male shook his head in disbelief at Jin Yeseo’s joke. Just seeing the light smile on his lips made her face feel hot, like she was burning with a fever.
‘I’m really hopeless… I said I shouldn’t like him too much… but here I am, getting caught up in it…’
Just then, the male student seemed to remember something and said,
“Oh right. Wait a second.”
“Uh…?”
The male, who had disappeared somewhere, soon returned with a rectangular metal box and handed it to Jin Yeseo.
“Here.”
“What… is this…?”
Stunned, Jin Yeseo took it and felt how heavy it was—almost too much for one hand.
The male answered nonchalantly.
“It’s a gift.”
“What?!”
Unlike his calmness, Jin Yeseo was utterly shocked.
“W-What do you mean, a gift all of a sudden…?”
Her eyes widened as she looked back and forth between him and the box. An overwhelming sense of happiness surged in her heart, and her face felt feverishly hot.
Jin Yeseo, unable to hide her excitement, stammered with anticipation.
“Can I… open it now…?”
“That’s why I brought it.”
Before he even finished speaking, Jin Yeseo’s hands were already opening the box.
As a massive blade resembling a giant saw came into view, she couldn’t help but gasp in awe.
“It’s the E-2 Braver…!”
Recognizing its identity wasn’t hard. She had been well-versed in the catalogs of blade manufacturers for a long time.
She had just been thinking about how she wanted her own blade. While the cradle’s ceremonial blade wasn’t bad, it certainly lacked the capacity to fully embody her talent.
And now, here she was, receiving a top-tier product she had always wanted, there was no way she wasn’t overjoyed.
Considering who had given it to her made it even better.
With sparkling eyes, Jin Yeseo turned to him and exclaimed,
“Really, is this for me? Am I allowed to have something this nice?”
“I won it as a prize for the social gathering tournament, but I have no use for it.”
“Because of Mabeulreoseu?”
“Yeah. It doesn’t match my style, and it’s too big to store. I felt bad about selling it, so…”
“Right. The Braver is made by your S&C company, so….”
“Anyway… that’s how it is.”
He said this slightly awkwardly.
“It really fits your style, so I thought I’d bring it. If you don’t like it, you can return it.”
His shy demeanor was so cute that Jin Yeseo burst out laughing.
Having regained her composure, she spoke in a playful tone.
“What if I say I don’t like it?”
“Well, I’d have to think about that then. But… would you really return it?”
“What? Pfft…”
Seeing his bashfulness, Jin Yeseo couldn’t help but chuckle again.
The bad memories from before had long dispersed, replaced by a warm breeze.
Her fluttering heart kept pushing her to throw herself into his arms, whisper sweet nothings to him, and, this time, to kiss his lips instead of just his forehead.
The fact that this wasn’t just a daydream but something real made her even happier.
‘Could he actually like me too…?’
There was no way someone would go to the trouble of making excuses just to give her a present without some kind of feelings involved.
‘Well, it’s understandable… There aren’t many people as pretty and kind as I am…’
Plus, they had spent days together and even survived a near-death experience, so it was only natural they would develop some affection.
Perhaps her plan to win him over was progressing faster than she thought; Jin Yeseo couldn’t help but smile.
“…That’s impossible.”
By now, Jin Yeseo’s cheeks were flushed with a rosy hue.
“Thank you so much. I’ll make good use of it…”
Even if she said that, it felt incredibly embarrassing and awkward to express her gratitude directly.
Especially to someone she had feelings for.
It seemed the same was true for the other person.
“…It’s fine. There’s no need for thanks. Just use it well.”
“…Okay. Hehe…”
The male, scratching his head sheepishly, seemed to still have something left to say. He hesitated while looking at Jin Yeseo, who was beaming with joy.
“Hey, and you know…”
“Uh, what?”
His uneasy demeanor made Jin Yeseo tense up as if a storm was brewing in her head.
It felt like a savior had appeared, but suddenly there was an unexpected attack with that gift and now, he was hesitant to continue.
Considering everything, the only conclusion Jin Yeseo could draw was one.
‘Could it be… a confession?!’
“Ah, ahh…”
Jin Yeseo let out an involuntary squeak, thrown off balance due to her lack of preparation.
After all, it felt too sudden. She thought they needed a few days to get to know each other better first.
But before she could gather her thoughts or even give a coherent response, the male continued.
“I think we should stop meeting for sparring sessions like this.”
“Well, I understand if that’s how you feel, but… what?”
Echoing the words back in disbelief, Jin Yeseo felt dazed. Was she mistaken? But the calmness of his demeanor didn’t suggest so.
Then came the words that felt like a bolt from the blue.
“I got a girlfriend.”
*
Her excitement cooled in an instant, and her face drained of color.
It was a shocking and betraying declaration, too much to simply sit and listen. He wouldn’t casually throw around bad jokes like that.
Finally finding her voice, Jin Yeseo stammered,
“W-What do you mean… you have a girlfriend…?”
“A girlfriend.”
While she faltered, the male remained calm, as if stating a simple fact.
Today’s earlier lukewarm attitude suddenly made sense to Jin Yeseo.
“W-Who is it?”
“Yeon Minha. You know her, right? My mentor.”
Of course she knew.
“What… how did that happen?”
“W-Well, it just happened…”
“Ugh, I see…”
“That’s right. You know how Minha is, right? If she sees us like this, it could cause you some trouble. So, let’s stop our sparring sessions. The training room in Building B has also been repaired…”
“N-No, don’t do that…!!”
As he continued explaining, Jin Yeseo inadvertently shouted to silence him.
While she was panicking, the male looked at her confused.
“…Why can’t we?”
“B-Because…”
Jin Yeseo stuttered, struggling for words. This was not the time to mess up; she had to be careful.
She felt a surge of betrayal. Her vision blurred from shock.
How could he casually declare he has a new girlfriend, leaving her behind like this?
She couldn’t help but wonder if he was worthy of such an action. It was painful how quickly everything had fallen apart after just a few days apart.
‘W-What is this…?’
She bit down on her lip thinking about Yeon Minha. This felt like a perfectly set-up fish had just been snatched away by a sneaky cat.
But most frustrating of all was how she couldn’t bring herself to let go of him, still clinging on desperately.
In this situation, the training room was the only connection between them.
If she lost this too, there would be no chance to make up for her mistakes.
“Then, so…”
But he had already declared he had a girlfriend. What would it achieve to confess her feelings now? It would only backfire.
‘What should I do… what can I do…?!’
But before Jin Yeseo could formulate a response, the male seemed to catch on to her strange mood.
“…Hey.”
He looked at Jin Yeseo and asked.
“Can I ask you something?”
“W-What is it…?”
Jin Yeseo swallowed hard, feeling a gnawing sense of dread wash over her.
After hesitating a moment, the male finally spoke.
“…Do you… like me?”
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